Travelocafe Travel Blog

Video Of The Day: The Beautiful and Lonely Venice

2011-12-19T15:01:00.000+01:00

Venice knows only how to be beautiful. Beautiful and lonely. People come and go, but few decide to stay with it forever. This is one of the best Venice videos I've ever seen. The romantic details, the perfectly chosen music, the quiet passing of time... I spent one day of my perfect honeymoon in Venice and loved every minute of it. I've always hoped to return one day and go on a Venice gondola ride. One of my favorite place in the whole city was Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo. Situated off the beaten path, it features an amazing example of Venetian architecture - the external spiral staircase. What's your favorite place in Venice?

'Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.' Truman Capote

'A realist, in Venice, would become a romantic by mere faithfulness to what he saw before him.' Arthur Symons

'Is it worth while to observe that there are no Venetian blinds in Venice?' William Dean Howells

If this is your first time here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed and follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Stumbleupon to get regular updates. Thanks for visiting! Laura

Video Of The Day: Skateboarding Through India

2011-11-18T13:50:00.001+01:00

The origins of skateboarding dates back to the early 1900's in the United States, but since then it has been exported to many other countries. For some it is a recreational sport, for others a form of art, and for the very few, a job.

Skateboarders might be seen through somewhat annoyed eyes in the Western world nowadays, but in India skateboarding seems to be a novelty still, and people gather and actually cheer the skateboarding performances. Although, I could not help but notice the fact that the audience is 100% male. I wonder if it has to do with preference or culture?

It's a completely different world out there, and the contrast between cultures it's easy to spot. The faces of the kids learning to craft their own skateboards are priceless, and the final scene with the pigeons is epic indeed.

Shot in Bangalore, Jaipur, Delhi and Agra, this video shows India through the eyes of a skater. It's all about finding the right surfaces and enjoying them. I simply love how both the locals and the skaters learn about each other, transform, grow together and enrich themselves from the experience. The interaction between the two cultures is marvelous.

If this is your first time here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed and follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Stumbleupon to get regular updates. Thanks for visiting! Laura

Video Of The Day: Aurora Borealis

2011-11-14T11:02:00.001+01:00

Aurora Borealis fascinated me ever since I saw a picture of it in an old magazine when I was about five or six. I always loved sunrises and sunsets, but Aurora is simply special to me. I imagined it in a myriad of colors. I found out way later that it only comes in - green, red, blue and purple. Sill, I find it amazing nevertheless. And then they named my newborn cousin Aurora, and I was intrigued, upset and confused all at the same time. Aurora Borealis is up on my bucket list, and I'm a bit sad it didn't make it to be one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. This beautiful video was shot during one week in and around Kirkenes and Pas National Park in Norway, near the Russian border, at -15 degrees Fahrenheit.

If this is your first time here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed and follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Stumbleupon to get regular updates. Thanks for visiting! Laura

Video Of The Day: The Other Face Of Afghanistan

2011-11-07T18:40:00.000+01:00

Lukas and Salome Augustin surprised in this video a part of Afghanistan we never get to see on the news. Between foreign forces, explosions and terror, it seems that the time stood still for a moment, allowing them to portray the Afghan people and their daily lives in a vivid and serene manner. Afghanistan is not the first country to be torn apart by war and fleeting ideologies and the Afghans are not the first people ever to live in fear, disillusioned and with a low self-esteem either. But we are all humans, and while mistakes are part of our lives, we should also try to learn from the past. Watching this makes me feel we generalize too much, believe more than we should in the impartiality of the media and mistake the people for the ones who rule them way too often.

Video Of The Day: Solo Hiking Through Iceland & The Psychology Of The Adventure Traveler

2011-11-03T11:16:00.000+01:00

It's become a fashion in the last years for people of all ages to try to go the extra mile. But my background in psychology tells me this is no coincidence, not now when depression is transforming into an epidemic.

We live in a donkey with a carrot world. Today's Western society gives us little means to fill those huge shoes it has prepared for us. The toll gets higher and higher and we feel the need to live up to our parents, teachers and politicians expectations. Why? Because we are human and it is normal to want to be accepted, appreciated and have a sense of belonging.

I have to say I admire deeply these adventurers we see on TV and read about in newspapers almost on a daily basis. They found their own creative solution, a strategy to cope with this damn demanding society that asks from you to be a winner without really giving you the opportunity to get in the race in the first place. They are the smart and brave ones who bend the rules and literally find new territories to conquer.

There are very few opportunities to be better than everybody else in a certain field. Nevertheless, we are supposed to be 'the best'. But we cannot all be the best, now, can we? I don't think people live adventurously just for the adrenaline rush. The adventure traveler is first of all a person in desperate need for a confirmation of their worth.

In the summer of 2011, Klara Harden hiked solo for 25 days through Iceland. She is an Austrian photographer and cinematographer and she recently published this extraordinary 15 minutes video she filmed during her adventures. I get it, Iceland's scenery is breathtaking; the midnight sun in Iceland video already made me want to visit the island-country. But Klara goes further, and while Iceland is still 'oh' and 'ah' she lets you read between the lines the emptiness and the harshness of this land.

Miss Harden passes by lonely little houses, dead animals and she even gets lost at one point. We, humans, became who we are now because we formed a society. We are not really good at living alone in the middle of a vast plateau. We tend to get disorientated and panic when we loose the beacon. Luckily for her (and for us), Klara found her way back. She's got her victory. For the moment.

That being said, please don't just stay there waiting for the depression to catch up with you. Go conquer something, do something you can be proud of. You don't have to be perfect, just get a sense of purpose and live a trail behind you. Others will come to build the motorway, don't worry about that.

Video Of The Day: Swimming With 10 Million Jellyfish

2011-10-28T14:54:00.000+02:00

The Jellyfish Lake on Eli Malk Island, Republic of Palau, is quite a surreal and unique place. The jellyfish got trapped here 12 thousand years ago and because of the lack of predators their stinging abilities got suppressed. Now the Jellyfish Lake is the only place in the world where you can freely swim with millions of fascinating jellyfish without being stung. Pretty amazing!

Video Of The Day: RyanAir And The Cheap Flights Song

2011-10-25T10:33:00.000+02:00

When you hear cheap flights, infamous cost-cutting suggestions - charging to use the toilets on planes, standing passenger space, and scrapping the role of the co-pilot - might come to your mind. RyanAir got famous for such radical ideas, but we have to admit they also got a lot of the right kind of bad publicity in exchange, and now they are on the verge of becoming one of the world's biggest airlines.

"When wackiness hits the European skies, it's usually safe to guess that Ryanair is somehow involved" someone from Gadling wrote back in 2010. People got used with making fun and criticizing the Irish cheap flights carrier.

Nevertheless, their fleet is expanding as they plan new routes to Scandinavia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Recently RyanAir announced that passengers will soon have to pay for flights using the airline’s pre-paid payment method if they want to escape card charges, according to DailyMail.

From my standpoint, as long as RyanAir doesn't compromises our safety, I prefer spending the difference in price on something fun when I reach my destination. If they must charge to use the toilets, I can hold for the two hours it takes to cross Europe. But I hope from the bottom of my heart they will never ever start charging for using the steps (see the video). I was never big on adventure travel, no matter how much I admire those with a spirit of adventure.

Do you have any funny (or sad) stories RyanAir related? Do you prefer or prefer not to fly with the low budget airlines?

Video Of The Day: Midnight Sun In Iceland

2011-10-18T11:26:00.000+02:00

The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon occurring in the summer months north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle, during which period the sun remains visible 24 hours a day.

Iceland during the midnight sun is in sort of a permanent state of sunset. Combine that with one of the most beautiful places in the world and you get a very unusual, and spectacular landscape.

If Iceland wasn't on my bucket list up till now, after seeing this video, it just jumped on top of it. And if this video doesn't convince you too to visit Iceland at least for a few days next summer, I don't know what will. Mother Nature rocks! Canon too :)

What fabulous places are on YOUR bucket list?

Video Of The Day: Stargazing From Spain's Rooftop

2011-09-29T01:14:00.000+02:00

El Teide is a volcano. The third highest in the world. El Teide's summit is also the tallest in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands of the Atlantic (3718m). El Teide is located on Tenerife, Canary Islands and is one of the best places in the world for stargazing and wishing upon a star. That one of the world´s best observatories is located here is like pointing the obvious. After seeing this video you will understand why.

This series of time lapses was shot during a one week trip and it involved a lot of hiking at high altitudes and probably less than 10 hours of sleep. After living in an urban area for so long it seems almost unbelievable that there are so many stars on the sky!

During one of the nights, a large sandstorm hit the Sahara Desert, making it nearly impossible to see the sky with the naked eye. However, the camera managed to capture the sandstorm, which was backlit by Grand Canary Island, making the Milky Way stars sparkle through what looked like golden clouds. So if you ever wondered how the Milky Way would look through a Sahara sandstorm, look at 00:32.

El Teide Volcano and its surroundings comprise the Teide National Park, part of the UNESCO World Heritage List, and one of the most visited National Parks in the world. Some of the images from this video are from the park, which is also breathtaking. I always had the feeling that Spain was just a big rock surrounded by water. I always believed there was nothing scenic about Spain. I have never ever dreamed of entertaining train rides or fun road trips; because I always thought there simply wasn't such a thing. Not in the orthodox sense anyway. Well, it looks like I was wrong. There are astonishing corners of nature in Spain. One just has to buy a good camera.

What's you favorite place for stargazing?

Video Of The Day: Istanbul Street Life

2011-07-08T10:19:00.000+02:00

As Sertac Yuksel wanders the streets of Istanbul alone, the city unwraps before him and his Canon camera. Caught between Orient and Occident, the city of Istanbul is a uniquely cosmopolitan place with a culture and character shaped by the influence of three continents. The city’s over-abundance of important historic buildings and exciting new art galleries and museums is only matched by the creatively diverse, innovative and energetic underground scene. No wonder Istanbul got to be known as the Hippest City in the world.

Sometimes hidden on backstreets known only to the locals, other times performing in the heart of the tourist centre of the city for the money, the street performers awake a city to life. Many times though they are teenagers that just hang out together on the streets, the obvious choice for any Mediterranean born culture, having fun and enjoying their youth. But the most remarkable thing about street performers is that beyond the need to see and be seen dwells a fabulous feeling of being in love with living.

I love the vintage light this video has; it gives the city a special and indescribable feeling. You must agree Istanbul is hot these days!

Video Of The Day: Diving With The Gray Reef Shark

2011-06-28T15:15:00.000+02:00

This amazing short video of some gray reef sharks was shot with a Panasonic Lumix ZS7 by Sarosh Jacob in Nassau, Bahamas, one of the most exciting scuba diving destinations in the world, featuring sunken Spanish galleons, inland blue holes, caves and forest-like coral reefs teeming with marine life. The sharks in the video hang around a shipwreck called the Ray of Hope. Reef sharks are generally not aggressive though they can become dangerous in the presence of food, and tend to be more aggressive if encountered in open water rather than on the reef. Gray reef sharks are often curious about divers when they first enter the water and may approach quite closely, though they lose interest on repeat dives. Spear fishing, pursuing or cornering them might make them attack though. The gray reef sharks are susceptible to localized depletion due to their slow reproductive rate, specific habitat requirements, and tendency to stay within a certain area.

Video Of The Day: The Cat Man. A Street Performer's Story

2011-06-27T20:00:00.000+02:00

There are streets in this world that wouldn't be the same without the street performers who make a living on them. I like street performers, ok, maybe not all of them, but the motionless ones in fancy clothing and the really talented artists giving demonstrations can be for me the salt and pepper of a place.

Bela Erdei or 'The Cat Man' might be a familiar face to some of you who have walked the streets of the French Riviera in the past ten years. Dressed up in époque clothing, he and his gorgeous well cared for house cats put on a show meant to bring smiles and joy. The team works in harsh weather conditions and in front of a very judgemental public, for which the below video speaks volumes, but despite this they seem to love each other lots, just like a big happy family.

Video Of The Day: Bicycle Rush Hour In Utrecht, Netherlands

2011-06-27T09:36:00.000+02:00

Utrecht is the 4th largest city in the Netherlands and probably it didn't get much of your attention yet. But look at this video taken on an ordinary Wednesday morning in April 2010 at around 8.30 and be amazed. When 33% of ALL trips in a city are made by bicycle, this is how the streets look like on rush hour.

Biking is healthier, greener, cheeper and sometimes even faster than driving a car or riding a bus; and with all that biker friendly infrastructure in place, biking around is safe too. Utrecht has a population of 300,000 and no less than 22,000 bicycles and 2,500 buses pass this junctions every day.

In recent years, public bicycle rental programs have sprouted in cities across the globe and bike sharing is quickly becoming a new form of public transport. So you can say bye bye to the age of the automobile. Its so yesterday.

Video Of The Day: Camogli, Italy. Where Art Grows On Buildings

2011-06-24T13:41:00.000+02:00

One of the most pleasant surprises on the Italian Riviera is the small fishing village of Camogli. Camogli has two meanings - 'houses close together' and 'houses of wives' which refers to the fishermens wives, who traditionally spent their time at home while their husbands were out at sea. But the truth is that in Camogli the main tourist attraction are not the nice beach and the small harbor with shops and restaurants, but the colorful painted houses featuring Trompe L'Oeil treatments that trick the eye. A painted window here or a painted balcony there might seem fake to some, but I really see this as a form of artistic expression, like a well done graffiti that brightens the streets and puzzles the visitor at the same time. The video below speaks for itself.

Video Of The Day: Corning Museum of Glass

2011-03-09T13:06:00.000+01:00

Corning Museum of Glass, in Corning, New York is world's largest glass museum, featuring 35 centuries of glass artistry and more than 45,000 glass objects. The museum explores every facet of glass, including art, history, culture, science and technology, craft, and design.

Corning Museum's Glass Collection Galleries tell the story of glass creation through objects representing every country and historical period in which glassmaking has been practiced, from Ancient Egypt to the present day. From decorative urns and plates to chandeliers, the Corning Museum of Glass features glass blown items, live demonstrations and even provides the posibility of making your our glass under the motto "We provide the materials and you provide the imagination". Kids and teens under 19 can visit for free!

Video Of The Day: LED Smiles. The Latest Craze In Japanese Fashion

2011-01-26T10:47:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the latest Japanese fashion craze! It's not a new hair cut, nor a weird dressing style; it's a LED smile! And it's never been easier to lighten up a room with a smile before!... The LED smiles are easily fixed to one’s teeth and can radiate anything from devilish red to pure white sparkle. No need for bleach anymore; just a computer interface to change the colors wirelessly. I'm not sure how all this glitter works for the listener, but we might expect some crazy sunglasses fashion to follow. Only in Japan! Yet!

The Fun Hotel, Verona - Not For The Faint Of Heart!

2011-01-23T23:20:00.000+01:00

While having your luggage stolen from your hotel's lobby might not be fun elsewhere, it is in Verona! Montemezzi Hotel got the name of 'The Fun Hotel' because of the pranks and flash mobs they organize for their guest. You can also book a funny room, look into a magic mirror and play 'spot the difference' games. All you have to do is relax, enjoy and laugh... contagiously.

If this is your first time here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed and follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Stumbleupon to get regular updates. Thanks for visiting! Laura

Video Of The Day: Prague's Astronomical Clock Celebrates 600 Years Of History

2010-10-18T12:43:00.000+02:00

600 years have passed since the clockmaker Mikuláš of Kadan made the clock mechanism for the famous Prague Astronomical Clock in 1410. To celebrate it, a spectacular digital mapping show was organized and the story of what the clock tower saw during its 600 years of existence was told in 10 very colorful and dinamic minutes. My only regret is that I wasn't there...